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Dragons
Dragons are ancient, powerful creatures, and feared by others as they are admired in Merrimor. They are powerful, and intelligent. Their exact origin is debated however for no one knows exactly where or when they can but know that they are the oldest begins on the planet. While most roamed free and did not commonly associate with the civilizations of other races, a few number were the mounts and life-long companions of the Dragon Riders. Types The identification system for Dragons in Merrimor is based on two factors: means of traveling, and fire breathing. *Fire: Depending on whether a Dragon can breathe fire, it might be termed **Fire-Drakes - fire-breathing Dragons with or without wings **Cold-Drakes - Dragons who could not breathe fire. Some cold-drakes could breathe at least smoke or mist *Locomotion **Winged Dragons - Dragons that had two or four legs, but also wings which enabled them to fly. **Wingless Dragons - Dragons with no wings that walked on four legs. Some Dragons could not breathe fire and were known as Cold-drakes. Of these most could not breathe anything at all, but some few could breathe a smoke or vapor or mist. In particular many Dragons without wings were Cold-drakes. Biology There various types of Dragons in the world, however many have gone into near infinite hibernation, or have died out. Many Dragons have long serpentine bodies, with proportionately long necks and tails. Some have bodies with four limbs: two short back legs and two large wings as forelimbs, a similar body-plan to a bat. Some have six-limbs with four forelegs used to traverse and then two large wings on their backs used only for flight. The teeth and claws of adult dragons are as long and sharp as swords, but increasingly more durable. As reptiles, Dragons are covered in scales, as well as spiny horns which run down their backs from head to tail. On some particularly large ridges of horns frame the edges of their faces, running along the back of the skull and along the jawline, which grow bigger as they mature. Some adult dragons possess two sets of frills which run along the backs of their necks and spine, two along the sides of their necks and another two centered closer to the backbone, for a total of four frills. These are formed from webbing that grows between longer horny spines. When these dragons are agitated (or simply excited), they raise and flare these frills - similar to how a furry animal like a cat will raise the hackles on its back when agitated (or a feathered animal such as a goose will puff up its feathers), in an attempt to appear bigger so as to intimidate its enemies. When they can begin to breathe fire Dragons will begin to roast their food before consumption. Dragons are obligate carnivores, with diets consisting entirely of meat. Dragons can eat almost any kind of meat, anything from sheep to fish. Historical dragons ridden as beasts of war were known to eat fallen horses and even men on the battlefield. Fully grown dragons could consume a live horse whole. The scale color of dragons is highly variable, and historical dragons ranged in color from black to silver, red, gold, and even blue. Some dragons were one solid color throughout, but more often, they tend to have one primary color for most of their body, with highlights in a secondary color along their spinal crests, horns, and wing membranes. Like most reptiles, dragons lay clutches of eggs. Dragon eggs are roughly the size of a human child's head, and as heavy as stone, so they need to be carried with two hands. The shells however vary for some are as smooth as marble, and some are as course as rock, with vastly different color patterns between eggs. Dragon eggs are notoriously difficult to hatch, though they can maintain the spark of life inside of them for decades if not centuries. In the wild, when mother dragons sense their young are ready to hatch they will breathe fire onto the eggs warming them to the point where they can hatch. For Dragon Riders, eggs won't hatch until they sense the presence of their rider. Dragon eggs tended to be the same color as the dragon's scales, as did the color of their Rider's magic. Once born their scales were very strong, capable of deflecting arrows, even on the underbelly. On some, the wings were the weakest part of their body, composed of only a thin membrane of flesh. For most dragons, the color of their eyes and hide matched. They also possessed long, barbed tongues. All dragons ate meat, especially deer and other ungulates. Behavior Wild Dragons have been known to be highly aggressive towards anything, even Dragon Riders, and have been known to sometimes attack humans without provocation. In addition to being long-lived, powerful, and cunning, dragons also possessed subtle intelligence, great physical strength, and nearly impenetrable scales on almost everything. Some also posessed an overwhelming greed for treasure, especially gold. Wild Dragons were well known for sleeping on piles of stolen treasure. By their very nature, it was desirable to them to not only steal beautiful things, but to relish the act of dispossessing those from whom they took such property. However Dragon's who belonged to Riders didn't have this greed when presented with treasure. Some Dragons were prone to anger, and such fits of rage that towns, countrysides, and certainly individuals close at hand were subject to violent cataclysms of fire and destruction. The reasons for their strong affinity for gold are unknown, but wild dragons often put more of a priority on gold than food, and they can survive not eating (and maybe drinking as well) for tens or hundreds of years. Some females tended to be more aggressive, vain, and stronger than males. It's been said that in the wild, the "some females were so formidable, it was considered among the bonded dragons a great achievement to mate with one". Biography Dragons have a strong connection to magic, later "proven" true when magic begins to return to the world after the birth of the first three in over 80 years. The last surviving dragon in the world was possessed by House Storm, by Norin Storm, who used his to conquer and unify the Pandora about hundred years before the uprising of Solon Benefort. The Storm's dragon eventually died after Norin passed, after which the species was considered to be extinct throughout the world. At the same time that the War between the Bannermen and the Imperials began in Radgedka, Shaina Storm miraculously hatched three new dragons from their eggs, and for the first time in years, filling the skies of the world with the music of dragons once again. Attributes and Abilities Dragons possess awesome and terrible power, capable of laying waste to armies and burning entire cities to ashes. Men who were able to tame and ride dragons as beasts of war used them to burn their enemies and forge vast empires across the continent of Pandora. Probably the most famous attribute of dragons is their ability to Breathe Fire. Dragonflame can turn flesh to ash, melt steel, and crack stone. Older dragons can produce more intense flame for longer durations. Some Dragons seem to produce their fire-breath by expelling chemicals out of two tubes in the back of their throats: when these volatile substances combine, they undergo an intense reaction which bursts into a directed jet of fire. The bodies of dragons are also very resistant to fire, particularly their own flames, which don't even damage their own mouths as they expel them. Some believe that in many ways dragons are fire, fire given form as flesh: it is said that "fire cannot kill a dragon". Gallery BromxSaphiraI_.jpeg|Brom & Saphira I NorinStormxBrisingr.jpeg|Norin Storm & Brisingr Jura_Egg.jpg|Egg QYzEw.jpg|Drogon x Khal x Saphira Jura_(Baby).jpg ShainaxDragons1.png|Shaina x Baby Dragons Drogon_Fire.jpg|Drogon's Fire Jura_Fire.jpeg|Dragon Fire Jura1.jpeg ShainaxDrogon.jpg|Shaina x Drogon ShainaxDragons2.jpg|Shaina x Dragons 2 ShainaxDragons3.jpg|Shaina x Khal, Drogon, Saphira Jura_Armored.jpeg|Armored Dragon JuraxAragon.jpg|Dragon and their Rider JuraxAragon.gif|Dragon Battle